


Love...Where It Wasn't Supposed to Be

by pansexualnotmansexual



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Depression, Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Lesbian Character, M/M, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Polyamory, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Sokka has adhd, Zuko (Avatar) Has Issues, Zuko (Avatar) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, zuko has insomnia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25500493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pansexualnotmansexual/pseuds/pansexualnotmansexual
Summary: This is mainly Zukka with some side Sokka/Suki and poly Zuko/Sokka/Suki/Ty Lee. OCs are minor characters. Jetko is referenced as a past relationship.It's six months after the war has ended, and Zuko is being eaten up by his newfound responsibilities as Fire Lord. How is he supposed to cope with fixing the Nation when he has to juggle his sister's mental breakdown, the fact that he just can't sleep, avoiding failure, and his blushing every time he sees a certain Ambassador?As for Sokka, life as an Ambassador for the Fire Nation can be frustrating with people stuck in their ways and a general misunderstanding among the world. He needs a distraction when he's not planning...besides, Zuko's so great to be around. What's the harm in distracting him too?
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Ty Lee (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Kudos: 17





	Love...Where It Wasn't Supposed to Be

**Author's Note:**

> "I'll use you as a warning sign  
> That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind  
> And I'll use you as a focal point  
> So I don't lose sight of what I want  
> And I've moved further than I thought I could  
> But I missed you more than I thought I would
> 
> And I'll use you as a warning sign  
> That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind  
> And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be  
> Right in front of me  
> Talk some sense to me"  
> -I Found by Amber Run

**Chapter One: The Frustrations**

**Zuko**

East-bound, the orange-hues of the sky slowly grew more prominent. They overtook the entire atmosphere, embarking on their own journey across the land and to the focal point of the overhead celeste. Waves of red and yellow joined their orange companion alongside delicate pinks and purples that were tracing the horizon. The vividity echoed onto the turtle duck pond where Zuko had been stationed for several hours now. He had been patiently awaiting their arrival, consumed by his own thoughts and worry. 

He gently ran the tips of his fingers on his right hand through the water, as if that would draw them closer. Really though, the feeling of water comforted him. Ursa had taught him that the turtle ducks would come out on their own terms and that they would quickly retreat in the face of danger. When Zuko first returned to the pond since the war had ended, the turtle ducks had almost completely drawn themselves into occultation. It had taken a lot of patience and gentleness to slowly draw them back. Zuko didn’t mind. They were a nice cure for his insomnia and a brilliant distraction from the newfound difficulties of uniting the nation, and the world, as Fire Lord. He smiled to himself as a mother trekked through the water with her babies. They could clearly smell the oats and lettuce that Zuko had in his basket. He ripped the leaves and threw them in, careful not to frighten the ducklings. 

The iridescence of the sky now illuminated the entire garden area that Zuko had since decorated with flora native to the Fire Nation: Hosta, fire lilies, camellias, fig trees, bamboo, and tomato carrots amongst many others. He had attempted to take up some gardening, at Uncle’s request for him to be “more mindful and light-hearted,” but Zuko wasn’t very good at it. Nevertheless, he strongly encouraged the restructuring of Fire Nation forests so that they could majorly reverse the impacts that his forefathers had had on the land. He wasn’t sure it would make a difference. At this point, he wasn’t sure that anything would. He had to try, though. He just had to. 

Zuko finished giving his feed to the turtle ducks, watching the sun finish its incline. He rubbed his eyes and hoped that he could somehow will the exhaustion away. He knew that it was only a matter of hours before his meetings began for the day: Wartime peace efforts, Education Reform, Cultural Immersion, Infrastructure Rebuilding, Combatting Poverty in the Nation, Colony Assistance, Reversals of Imperialism... This was before lunch. Zuko’s aids had urged him the day before to not return to the meetings after yet _another_ sleepless night, but he couldn’t help his damned body or mind. They didn’t want to comply. They never did. It wasn’t his fault. It must’ve been faulty wiring... 

His mind wandered to Azula again. It had been six months since the end of the war. Six months since she had been sentenced to the asylum. Five months since he discovered the state of how she was living and demanded that all of those in the asylum, many of them war prisoners and homosexuals and disabled and _children,_ be set in more appropriate facilities or freed. He was disgusted by the chunks of wartime, imperialist philosophy that had still cluttered the nation. This anger fueled Zuko. No one else could save this nation. He would do it himself even if that meant he could never sleep again. At least, that’s what he swore to Uncle. 

Zuko snorted. He muttered to himself, “When I said that, I didn’t mean literally...” 

He got up when he heard the distant footsteps of his servants. He shook his head. They weren’t servants anymore. They were fairly compensated and were free to pursue other jobs or to leave, and they weren’t bound by ridiculous confidentiality agreements. They were _aid_ _s_ now, damn it. 

“Good-bye, guys. I hope you have a safe, nice day,” Zuko whispered to the turtle ducks. He watched as the ducklings started to play with one another. He stepped back into the palace corridor, stopping to smell the fire lilies that had just begun to bloom. They were his mother’s favorite. 

**Sokka**

“Ambassador.” 

“Sirs,” Sokka nodded back, passing by a group of Fire Nation officials as he made his way into the Eastern conference room. He had an early meeting with the other Fire Nation Ambassadors to discuss procedures for...well, Sokka wasn’t entirely sure. These things weren’t all that productive, and usually he and Suki would just play footsy under the table. He sighed. Maybe this meeting would _actually_ get to the point instead of just going over the same damn “traditions” that the Fire Nation “couldn’t afford to let go of.” Once, he lost his cool and told the generals _exactly_ what he thought of their “traditions” and where they could stick them. In their eyes, he was just another Water Tribe Savage, so he stormed out of the meeting. He knew that change would be hard and ungrateful and so _._ Fucking _. Slow._ But fuck, would he really have to sit through more of the “Okay but maybe we can still have a _wi_ _ttle_ bit of propaganda in our schools? Maybe? Pweaaaase?” discussions? 

He shook the frustration from his thoughts and turned his attention to the long hallway. The Cultural Team had already made many valiant efforts to change the décor and art in not only the palace and Fire Nation but also the entire world. He looked at a couple of the new paintings and sculptures, many of them sacred from the Air Tribes, as Aang had eventually allowed limited archeological clearance into the temples. 

Sokka made his way into the Conference Room. Just like always, he and Suki had arrived fifteen minutes before everyone else. 

“Why do these things _always_ have to be at five in the morning?” Sokka asked Suki, exasperated. 

She giggled and kissed him sweetly. “Because,” she said, in between pecks, “how else would they get on your nerves?” 

“Wh-wha? My _nerves_?” Sokka turned red. Suki laughed and rubbed his arm. 

“Come here! I want to show you something.” She dragged him to the back of the room and pointed out the large bay window. Some of the trees had recently been cut down to make room for more sustenance gardening—one of Iroh’s requests, Sokka was sure. This had taken away the majority of the privacy of the Eastern Garden. They watched as Zuko fed and pet the turtle ducks. 

Sokka gasped, “I thought they didn’t let anyone touch them?” 

“I guess they have a soft spot for him,” Suki shrugged. 

“Yeah, they’ve always _adored_ Zuko.” 

Sokka jumped. The delicate, feminine voice had startled him. He cleared his throat, pretending that nothing had happened. “Oh, Ty Lee...” he said, deepening his voice, “When did you get here? Why are you so early?” 

She shrugged, “I’ve been here the whole time! Suki invited me.” 

Suki blushed and murmured, “Well, I just told her that we like to come early just to talk about those _buffoons_.” 

Sokka chuckled. He shook his head. _Those Fire Nation idiots really think they’re better than everyone else_ , he thought to himself. 

Sokka took his seat and got his papers and quills out. He grimaced as one of the rolls brushed against his left forearm. He’d recently gotten a new Water Tribe tattoo and _jeez_ did it hurt. Suki sat down across from him and motioned for Ty Lee to sit next to her. 

The first few other ambassadors came into the room, silently greeting the three not-quite-adults. Then came in the remaining ambassadors, the ones from the Fire Nation... Sokka rolled his eyes. 

There were 10 ambassadors. They were supposed to represent the basics of each main society in the world, primarily the marginalized ones. They discussed Education Reform, Cultural Immersions, the Reversal of Imperialism, and anything else that involved sharing positive traditions and dismantling negative ones. Their meetings supposedly would spread to the rest of the world, but the ambassadors had opted to remain in the Fire Nation for the time being. The thinking was that the best way to combat marginalization was at the heart of the oppressor: The Fire Nation. Defeating propaganda was their goal, but it was hard to get _anywhere_ productively because of just how tight the reigns of “tradition” were. 

Three of the ambassadors were Fire Nation. Five were Earth Kingdom. One was Sokka. One was Ty Lee. Sokka tried not to let this get to him. Really. He did. It made sense because of just how big those societies were. And, besides, the bigger the ambassador team, the harder it would be to come to decisions. It also made it easier to make precise plans and strategies. Well...at least, that was the theory... 

Typically, the ambassadors stayed close to the palace, with many of them, Sokka included, deciding to reside within it. Ty Lee had her own residence on Ember Island. Suki, however, would travel. A lot. She insisted on having as much contact with her Kyoshi Warriors as possible. Sokka didn’t mind it, but it did make him lonely. He tried initiating hang out sessions with Zuko, but the man was so busy with Fire Lord duty this and Fire Lord duty that. 

“Our first order of business today is continuing our discussion on assessing the relevance of the cross-training of battle strategies within Fire Nation schools. On the board afterwards is budget, new mentor employment, the recreation of history books to reflect accuracy, and expected parental contribution. Any comments or additions?” Ambassador Chin, head of organization and note keeping, stated. 

“We need to discuss equity,” Sokka spoke up. 

“Equity?” 

“Yes,” Sokka cleared his throat and stood up, addressing the rest of the room. “We need to ensure that _everyone_ in the Nation is entitled to education, including those in the colonies _and_ the more rural areas.” 

“Okay. I’ll add that,” the ambassador nodded, taking down the notes on the board. “Anyone else?” 

“Well, since it was brought up...” Ty Lee said, leaping out of her chair. “We need to start decolonization.” The Earth Ambassadors started nodding their heads, as the Fire Ambassadors made disgruntled faces. 

“Decolonization?” One of them asked, “So you really want the Fire Nation to not only lose its dignity, but also its land, people, and rightful possessions?” He scoffed, incredulous. 

“Well, no...” she replied, twirling her braid. “None of those belong to the Fire Nation.” 

“You lost your dignity when you started conquering others and pillaging their land,” Suki asserted, trying to control her aggression. Sokka grinned, full of pride. 

“Well, I never...” 

“Such disrespect...” 

“These children just don’t understand...” 

Sokka rolled his eyes as the Fire Ambassadors started on one of their many tirades about “the loss of Fire Nation morals.” 

“This is why nothing gets done,” he announced. All eyes were on him. “No one can swallow their pride and admit when they, or their country, are wrong.” He looked around the room and stifled a yawn. “I get it, you love the Fire Nation. You want to be proud of it. I get it. But the entire world has been hurt because of this. Can we just add it to the list and make a resolution? I don’t want to be here all day again.” 

Ambassador Chin nodded. “Is there more?” 

“What about orphans?” Ambassador Oma added. She looked around. “Well, actually...I think we should add that to equity.” 

“Very well. Is everyone on board for moving equity further up our list? Perhaps next?” 

The Ambassadors nodded, and the meeting droned on... 

**Zuko**

Zuko sat in his chambers, staring at his pale walls. _I really should decorate at some point_ , he thought, _Guess that’s another thing to add to the list..._

He fought back a yawn and stood up to stretch. It was almost time for breakfast. Not that he ate much...he really hadn’t had much of an appetite these days. He changed out of his informal robes to put on his dining robes. The informal robes, one step above his sleeping robes, were a Fuji silk with black and red fabrics. They weren’t too heavy and didn’t require that much thought when moving around. The dining robes, on the other hand, were made up Dupioni and Charmeuse and were much heavier. 

When Zuko first got back to the palace, after the war had ended, he didn’t have a preference at all when it came to clothing. After all, he’d gone all those months in hiding and as a refugee... Nevertheless, he’d gotten fussed at too many times for mixing up his Shantung, Organza, Dupioni, and Chiffon; he was tired of fighting with it, so he asked for one of his aids to label all of his clothing. It had worked so far. 

He stepped into his private quarters and washed his face, getting water up his sleeves and onto his chest. He groaned loudly and slammed his fists against the sink. 

“Why can’t I do _anything_ right?!” He screamed. 

“Um..sir, Firelord Zuko, is everything alright?” one of his aids, Yulduz, asked meekly from outside his lavatory. 

“Oh...um...yes...I just...” Zuko racked his brain for an acceptable, and non-crazy response...one that wouldn’t require any follow up... “I just...cut myself...shaving.” 

“Oh! I’ll assist you, my lord,” Yulduz announced, stepping into the quarters. 

“No!” he all but shouted. He grimaced, realizing how aggressive he was being. “Er...No, thank you. That won’t be necessary.” He pulled his sleeves down, attempting to hide his obvious scarring before she saw anything that she shouldn’t. 

She stepped in, “My lord, your completely soaked. Let me tend to you. You shouldn’t have to attempt to care for your wounds yourself. Let me help you.” She stood, two feet from him, waiting for a response. 

“I’m fine, really. I’m perfectly fine,” he insisted. “There’s absolutely no need.” 

“Come on, sir. I know how sleep deprived you have been with all of the duties that need attending. There’s no shame in allowing your servants to come in your time of need. This is what we’re here for. Remove the robes: I’ll get the medicine and bandages.” She moved closer, stubbornly. 

“No!” He shouted. She shrunk back. _God,_ he thought, _I sound so irrational. But she can’t see. She can’t know. No one can._

She blinked in response and bowed. Yurduz left, and Zuko was alone again. 

He spent a good ten minutes sitting on the floor, refusing to move, hugging his own legs. _Why am I such a freak?_ He pondered. _I guess it runs in the family._ Zuko blinked tears out of his eyes, surprised that he’d thought of this for the second time today. It wasn’t even 7 in the morning yet. How could he be obsessing over something like this already? Couldn’t it wait until after his meetings and paperwork and visits? 

Zuko got up and made his way to the dining room. He had requested for parts of the palace—like the Agni Kai room and the Firelord’s Chambers—to be closed off. He didn’t need that much space. Besides, he didn’t want all of the memories that came with it. He followed the long hallway, not even glancing at the new art pieces. It was another one of his attempts to spruce up the place and to dim down some of the propaganda, but that also proved to be too much for him. 

Quickly after the victory, he, Sokka, and Suki had all decided that there needed to be an Ambassador Team to help combat the imperialism that had long been taking place. However, within a month’s time of Zuko trying to juggle the rest, he realized that he’d needed to delegate more teams. The Cultural Immersion team made the most sense; what better way to help understand each other than with getting to know each other’s cultures and beliefs? 

He sat in silence at the table, hardly touching his breakfast. 

…....... 

Zuko didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d sat down. A minute? 10 minutes? Hours? Any of those could be true. Suddenly, he was jarred from his dissociation by a familiar voice. 

“Zuko! Hey! What’s up?” 

He jerked and looked to his side. There was Sokka, standing proudly with his hands on his hips. He sported two new tattoos, a couple new piercings, and longer, braided hair. _God, how long has it been?_

“It’s been forever, right? Like, what, three weeks at least?” Sokka grinned. He seemed excited to see him. 

Zuko stood up and moved in to hug him. 

“Just be careful with the arm, dude. I’ve got a new tattoo on my left one, and it stings like a _bitch_ ,” Sokka informed him, his grin having grown even larger. 

“No problem,” Zuko replied. He gave Sokka a quick squeeze, and the two sat down. “Sorry I’ve gone MIA.” 

“Dude, don’t worry about it. Everyone’s been busy...especially you and Aang. You know he still sends me a letter every week? I don’t get how he keeps up with it...These fucking ambassador meetings _kill_ me mentally.” 

Zuko chuckled a bit. “Yeah...I wish we’d have gotten some fresh minds, but at least we got some of the more progressive Fire Nation teachers and mentors...” 

“Yeah, no, definitely. And! Get this, Ty Lee opened up a conversation about _decolonizing_ today. Ain’t that nuts? I guess she does have a brain.” 

“Oh, yeah. I guess she’s been spending time with some Ember Island natives.” Zuko grimaced. “Well, the ones that are still there, at least.” He looked up at Sokka’s face, taking it all in. 

The man had clearly gotten much more muscular in the last few weeks. His biceps were more pronounced, his shoulders were broader, his voice was even deeper. He had more facial hair. His hair was longer and braided in a typical Water Tribe style. And he was slowly becoming covered with traditional tattoos and piercings. He had a warrior tattoo on his shoulder, one on his left forearm, and almost an entire right-arm sleeve. His ears were filled with piercings, as well as the bridge of his nose. Ceremonial tattoos and piercings were normally looked down upon in the Fire Nation, notably because bodily scars were typically a sign of weakness and demonstrated failure in battle. But Zuko made sure that he’d paid attention to everything that would be included in the Education Reform; the Culture Curriculum went over these rituals, and he was amazed at the dedication of some Water Tribe warriors. He couldn’t imagine braving that over and over again. 

“You good, Zuko?” Sokka said, loudly. 

“Wha? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I...” Zuko trailed off. He’d gotten lost in his thoughts again. This time, though, he had gotten lost while staring at Sokka. He blushed, his eyes trailing the man’s biceps once more. 

“Did you get enough sleep last night?” Sokka was biting his lip. He was clearly worried. Why was everyone always so _worried_ about him? Did they think he was going to fail? Did they think he was _weak_? 

“Oh, yeah! Of course,” Zuko replied, smiling widely. He faked a snort. “If anything,” he added, “Too much sleep.” He shrugged and accidentally knocked his bowl over. 

Sokka didn’t look convinced, but it didn’t matter much. One of Zuko’s aids came by and informed him that it was time to put on his formal robes and begin his morning meetings. 

“Hey. We should hang out today. Or maybe tomorrow. Or like...later this week? If you’re not too busy, you know?” The worried expression stuck on his face. 

Zuko didn’t know why he didn’t want to spend time with Sokka. It wasn’t that he _didn’t_ , exactly. It was just that he didn’t have the _energy_ to. He was so busy, what with his meetings and paperwork and visits and fixing the palace and the gardening and the incessant worrying. But he was so lonely all the time. And he loved being around Sokka. He _missed_ him. A lot, if he let himself admit that. Zuko broke the awkward silence that had ensued, “Uh, yeah. I mean, no. I’m not too busy. What time do you usually wake up?” 

Sokka grinned again. Zuko felt his cheeks growing redder and made himself stare at the floor. Sokka replied, “Well, let’s say noon. I’ve gotta recover after today! I just can’t believe Ty Lee...Oh, and Suki! I’ve gotta tell you about how they’re _best friends_ now. It’s crazy! So, noon tomorrow?” 

“That sounds great,” Zuko said, trying to sound happier. All he wanted to do was sleep, so why couldn’t he? 

**Sokka**

Sokka didn’t say one word about how terrible Zuko looked. Did the man skip  sleep for, like, the last three weeks straight? He shook his head in disbelief.  When Zuko was determined to get something done, he got it done. If there was anything Sokka had learned from those Cultural Readings, it was that  Firebenders were so. Fucking.  _ Stubborn.  _

Sokka walked down the hallway into his own residence, which was on the Western side of the building. He liked being there because he liked the sunset. But it also meant that he had to walk  _ a lot  _ because  Firebenders were as crazy about their sunrises as they were stubborn. 

He got to his room and went to his desk, immediately taking down his plans for the “Harmony Restoration Movement.” Well, the name was a work in progress, but Ty Lee had inspired him... They needed to work on getting the Fire Nation out of the  Earth Kingdom as quickly as possible, no matter how difficult that would be.  He tried to keep going on his draft, but he just couldn’t sit still. 

Sokka stood up and bent over the desk. Maybe standing would help. 

After about ten minutes, Sokka heard a hard knock on the door. Hands full of ink, he went to open it. 

“Captain Boomerang! How’s it going?”  Toph greeted him.

“Hey, Toph! Let me just wash off this ink, and we’ll go ahead and get to our meeting. I didn’t realize what time is was.” Sokka welcomed her in and went to his lavatory. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I know you were talking to  _ Zuko, _ ” she said, in a mocking yet playful tone. She made her way to the bed and sat down.

“I was actually, and  y’know , he really doesn’t seem like he’s sleeping enough.” Sokka looked down at his hands. There was  _ no way _ they were gonna come clean.

“Well, is anyone?”  Toph asked. Sokka peeked out and saw her bending a small rock up in the air and catching it absent-mindedly. 

“I  dunno . A lot of us have just had to adjust. He seems worse recently, though, right? I mean, what do you think?” 

“Look, he’s never slept enough. That’s why he’s such a grouch. I wouldn’t worry. Zuko’s a big boy and can handle himself.” She bended the rock against the wall, creating a crater in it. 

Sokka rolled his eyes. He’d have to remember to run that by Maintenance later. “Toph, I don’t think he’s slept in days.”

“And I don’t think he’s slept in years. He’s a vampire. That’s probably why everyone thinks he’s _sooo_ hot.” She sat up on the bed and bended herself another rock. This one was bigger. Sokka _really_ needed to make sure he talked to Maintenance after this.

“It might be because he’s a Fire Bender.” Sokka looked at his hands again. Yup, no amount of washing would get this out.

“HA. Oh, hahahaha. Oh, Sokka, you’re so funny. That’s so clever. Woooo,” she burst out, pretending to wipe tears out of her eyes. “Where’d you hear that? I’ve never heard that before!”

“Come on, let’s just go,” he sighed. He wiped his hands on his robes. They had previously been red, purple, and blue, but now there w ere black stains all over them. He wanted to slap himself, but then he’d probably just have a black stain on his face too. They made their way to the meeting, and Sokka took care not to touch anything else. 


End file.
